Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.31 (beta-glucuronidase)
 7,680 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Human platelet factor 4 (PF4) and a substituent dodecapeptide designated PF4(59-70) elicited human neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis with a similar concentration-dependence and maximal responses equal to that attained by chemotactic fragments of C5 (C5fr). At maximally chemotactic concentrations, PF4(59-70) stimulated the secretion by neutrophils of approximately 40% and 60% of the respective quantities of beta-glucuronidase and beta-glucosaminidase released by 10(-6) M N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). In contrast to the deactivation of chemotaxis achieved by preincubation of neutrophils with other chemotactic factors, prior exposure to 10(-6)M PF4(59-70) for 2 min, or 20 min at 37 degrees, enhanced by 1.5- to 2-fold the chemotactic responses of neutrophils evoked by optimal concentrations of fMLP, C5fr, leukotriene B4, and PF4(59-70). Concentrations of PF4(59-70) which enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis inhibited the rate of receptor-mediated internalization of [3H]fMLP at 37 degrees and 18 degrees, but at 0 degrees failed to alter the binding affinity or the number of receptors for [3H]fMLP. Preincubation of neutrophils at 37 degrees with concentrations of PF4(59-70) which enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis also did not affect the subsequent binding of [3H]fMLP at 0 degrees. The inhibition by PF4(59-70) of the receptor-mediated internalization of [3H]fMLP was not mimicked by other positively charged compounds. The specific inhibition of receptor-mediated internalization of fMLP may explain the enhanced chemotactic responsiveness of neutrophils preincubated with PF4(59-70).
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PMID:Inhibition of human neutrophil receptor-mediated uptake of N-formyl-met-leu-phe by platelet factor 4 (59-70). 383 92

Structurally intact platelet cohorts of differing densities can be isolated from normal subjects by the use of isosmolar arabinogalactan density gradients. Using platelets separated in this fashion, we have studied the density-dependent distribution of four subcellular organelles: mitochondria, lysosomes, dense bodies, and alpha granules. Mitochondria, which are not secreted during platelet release, demonstrate a slow decline in monoamine oxidase activity within the gradient. Lysosomal beta-glucuronidase does not vary significantly with platelet density. In contrast, dense body number and endogenous serotonin content decrease significantly with decreasing platelet density, primarily as the result of differences in the number of storage organelles. Platelet factor 4 content declines rapidly in comparison to lysosomal activities (P less than .001 from bottom to top of the gradient); but beta-thromboglobulin, also an alpha granule component, exhibits considerably less change than platelet factor 4 (P less than .001). Thus, specific platelet subcellular constituents have different density distributions. We postulate that these density differences may be due to differential in vivo loss of selective biochemical constituents from unique subcellular compartments.
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PMID:Heterogeneity of human whole blood platelet subpopulations. III. Density-dependent differences in subcellular constituents. 623 35

A method for the purification of human platelet mepacrine-labelled granules is described. Characterization of these isolated granules allowed them to be identified as the serotonin storage organelles or dense bodies. Each step of the purification procedure has been controlled in order to obtain a minimum of leakage of the granule content during initial isolation of the platelets from the blood, the platelet washing procedures, and platelet lysis and the subcellular separation. A key step in the procedure was the centrifugation of the labelled granules across a short, discontinuous metrizamide gradient. The pellet of isolated mepacrine-fluorescent granules consisted almost entirely of granules with the typical appearance of dense bodies, as shown by electron microscopy, and was relatively free from membranes and other granule populations as evaluated by the presence of the different markers (tritiated lectin, beta-glucuronidase, monoamine oxidase, platelet factor 4). The method is simple, reproducible and allows the highest enrichment in dense bodies obtained hitherto with human platelets: x 177 in calcium and x 115 in [14C]serotonin after fractionation of [14C]serotonin-labelled whole platelets. Functional studies performed with the isolated granules showed that they rapidly accumulated [14C]serotonin.
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PMID:Initial characterization of human platelet mepacrine-labelled granules isolated using a short metrizamide gradient. 712 67